10 Popsicle Recipes That Are Healthier Than Smoothies

In general, we love smoothies, but in the summer, there’s something we love even more: popsicles. Specifically these popsicles. Clean, simple, and delicious, they’re mostly made of fruits and vegetables and hardly any sugar. In fact, because these healthy popsicle recipes are so nutrient-packed, they may be even healthier than smoothies. We’d definitely eat them for breakfast. (And if you. have kids, you know they will definitely get behind breakfast popsicles.)

1. Rainbow Popsicles from The First Year 

With these popsicles’ colorful 7 layers, you will literally be eating the rainbow. They require a little extra work than your standard popsicle, but the recipe yields 30+ pops, so you’ll be set for days. And they are definitely #instaworthy. 

Photo Credit: As Easy As Apple Pie

2. Green Smoothie Popsicles from As Easy As Apple Pie

These smoothie pops, made with coconut water, orange juice, baby spinach, bananas, pineapple, and ginger, are a delicious way to sneak extra greens into your diet. They were developed with kids in mind, but they’re adult-friendly too. 

Photo Credit: One Little Project

3. Fresh Fruit Popsicles from One Little Project

Our favorite thing about this recipe? No blender required. Pack as much fruit as you can into the popsicle molds and fill with your favorite fruit juice or tea. It doesn’t get any easier than this!

Photo Credit: Jessica Gavin

4. Strawberry Yogurt Granola Popsicles from Jessica Gavin

This popsicle recipe is like eating a bowl of strawberry yogurt with granola, but even better. There’s zero added sugar and it’s also high in protein, thanks to Greek yogurt. 

Photo Credit: Vegan in the Freezer

5. Blueberry Apple Popsicles from Vegan in the Freezer

This 2-ingredient recipe (we repeat, 2-ingredient!) is such a good way to use up a large bounty of blueberries. This delicious and refreshing treat is also full of vitamin C and antioxidants.

Photo Credit: Homemade & Yummy

6. Banana Popsicles from Homemade and Yummy

Unlike most popsicle recipes which rely heavily on fruit, these banana popsicles incorporate fresh avocados, too. They’re creamy and chocolate-y, but also happen to be added-sugar-free. We may have to put a pause on our banana bread making to make these instead!

Photo Credit: Maple and Mango

7. Mango Popsicles from Maple and Mango

So creamy and delicious, these tropical 4-ingredient popsicles come together in no time. Use frozen mango chunks to make things even faster.

Photo Credit: Little Broken

8. Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles from Little Broken

Just strawberries, Greek yogurt, and honey — this 3-ingredient recipe is a must-make this summer, especially while strawberries are in season. 

Photo Credit: Cookie + Kate

9. Peach and Honey Popsicles from Cookie + Kate

These popsicles require a little more effort than most, but it is totally worth it. Roasting the peaches reduces their water content and concentrates their flavor. As a result, you’ll end up with extra-flavor-packed ice pops!

Photo Credit: The Pretty Bee

10. Watermelon Strawberry Popsicles from The Pretty Bee

Would this round-up be complete without a watermelon popsicle? We think not. This 2-ingredient recipe uses our two absolute favorite summer fruits: watermelon and strawberry. They’re so sweet and flavorful on their own, you don’t even need to add any sweetener.